Photo Real Update Chris - 1/29/21 11:24 PM

I know.  I know.  None of us wanted this figure to be re-released, but the results don’t lie.  I don’t like saying this, but the new Photo Real figure is a marked improvement over the original.  I like to tell myself that the only reason I bought this figure is because I needed to document it for this site.  Having seen it in hand, I would have bought it regardless because of the type of collector I am.  If a re-release is a significant improvement over its predecessor, I want it. The face paint apps are a drastic improvement, but the changes don’t stop there.  Anakin’s poncho is new kind of soft goods that isn’t quite as burlappy and tattered.  It’s a bit finer of a garment.  The first poncho was honestly too tattered and rustic compared the on-screen wardrobe.  This one is too clean.  It needs a good schmutzing in a couple of places.  It’s your choice which one you prefer.  I’m undecided myself.

Editor’s Note:  This review has been updated with our second look at TVC…

Original Review:  Chris - 2/20/11 11:24 PM

I want to deduct points simply since this is a fairly boring costume, but I need to judge this as a figure.  It doesn’t fail as a figure.  The articulation allows for most of the poses you’d hope to accomplish.  The only negative is with the head sculpt that feels more like Malcom in the Middle than Hayden Christensen, but it does capture the emo brooding the character displayed in Attack of the Clones.  9 out of 10.

Updated Review: Bret - 6/30/18 07:05 AM

Here’s another excellent TVC figure, and is notable because it’s such a huge upgrade over the previous version.  In 2002, Hasbro released this character in the Saga line*.  (I call it “Blue Saga” to help differentiate it from 2006’s The Saga Collection).  The figure was notable because it was terrible, even by 2002 standards, which consisted of figures with mostly 5POA, moderate to poor likenesses, and almost no soft goods accessories.  That figure had a vintage-y throwback telescoping lightsaber, which was just bizarre.  It did come with a neat accessory, though.  In 2002, Hasbro was big into magnets.  It was all the rage.  Many Jedi figures came with small magnets in their hands which could hold onto metal hilts of lightsabers (a neat idea, although aesthetically they lacked screen accurate detail).  The feature also allowed for the figure to attract the metal hilts to their hands to mimic use of the Force (over an incredibly short distance - like maybe a quarter of inch), or to “wave” their hand across another accessory that was activated by some kind of magnetic/metallic part.  In the case of the 2002 Anakin, he came with a storage case that he could open by waving his hand across it.  Neat and ridiculous at the same time.

Okay, enough about the 2002 figure.  This TVC Anakin is just a huge upgrade.  As Chris mentioned recently, AOTC may be a terrible film, but the character designs were intriguing and a lot of fun to collect.  I love the idea of Anakin and Padme in peasant disguises so they could travel incognito.  This figure includes a burlap-ish cloak, which is a true shmata, if I ever saw one.  It fits the figure perfectly, although mine seems to have lost an important stitch, which helps the cape keep its form.  As such, I kind of fudged the look by tucking it under Anakin’s arm.  In any case, it has a great aesthetic.  The figure is a bit dainty, but the outfit is sculpted well, and the paint is intricately applied.  The face likeness is far from that of Hayden Christensen, but whaddya gonna do?  Anakin comes with a hilt (that fits nicely in the peg hole in his belt) and a lit saber.  The upper body articulation allows for a THWG, and he’s even able to perform a two-handed overhead chop pose.  Good stuff.  Ball jointed hips would be an upgrade, but really not that necessary for a character that did little but engage in some painfully awkward conversations.

The figure will probably be the best we get of this version of Anakin, and I think we should be very happy with that.  We’ll call it definitive, but regardless, it’s an outstanding figure.

*This was a strange line, because the cards made no mention of Attack of the Clones (the character names had the movie subtitle), nor did the artwork contain anything specific to AOTC (it was a generic lightsaber).  As such, I classify this as the only major line look to not market itself with the media to which its launch was attached.  The line looks for TLJ and Solo made no mention of the film in most cases (“The Last Jedi” does appear on the Battle of Crait 4-pack package), but they at least depict characters specific to TLJ and Solo, respectively. 

Verdict:  No Action 

This is a definitive figure of Anakin in peasant disguise, and the secondary market value is among the lowest of TVC figures we’ve reviewed so far in our recent second take.  No need for Hasbro to do anything. 

Verdict Guide:
Re-sculpt = The figure is not definitive, and a new version should be developed.
Re-issue = This version is definitive (or close enough), and shows sufficient secondary market demand to warrant a straight repack.
No Action = This release does not require new attention.